Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-02-18
K ING
Solomon 5 Mines.
BY II. RIDER HAGGARD.
CHAPTER L

five last birthday should find myself TAX
ing up a pen to {. and write history.
wonder what sort of history it will be
when have done II, if ever come to the
end of tn. trip! / have done good many
things In my life, which seems long one 10
me. owing to my having begun SO young.
perhaps. At an age when other boys are at
school, was earning my living as trader
in the Old colony. | have been trading,
hunting fighting, or mining ever since. And
yet it is only eight months ago that L made
my pile. 1t is big pile now have got It
don't know yet how big-but I don't think
would go through the last fifteen or sixteen
months again for it; no, not il l knew that
should come out safe at the end. pile and
all. But then am timld me- and don't
Ike violence, and am pretty sick OF advent
ure. | wonder why | am goius to write this
book: it is not in my line. L am not
literary man, though very devoted to the Old
Testament and also to the 'Ingoldsby Lee
gends." Let me try and set down my rea-
sons, Just to see if have any.
First reason: Because Sir Henry Curtis
and Captain John Good asked me to.
Second reason: Because ] am laid up here
at Durham with the pain and trouble of my
left leg Ever since that cOnfounded lion
got hold of me have been liable TO ii, and
its being rather bad Just now makes me limp
more than over. There must be some poison
in the lions teeth, otherwise how Is Il that
when your wounds arc healed they break
out again, generally, mark you, at the same
time Of year that you got your manling? 1T
is 4 bard thing that when one has shot sixty
five lions as have In the course of my life,
that the sixty-siXth should chew your leg
like quid of tobacco. Ii breaks the routine
- Ia "A tirNsr fhar uIiI arl
tons aside, | am an orderly man and don't
Ike that This is by the way.
Third reason Because | want my boy,
Harry, who is over there at the hospital in
London studying to become ii doctor, to have
something to amlIse him and keep him out
of mischief for a week or So Hospital work
must sometime pail and get rather dull, for
even of cutting up dead bodies, there must
come safety, and as this history won't be
dull, whatever else it may be, 1t may put a
little life into things for day or Two while
he Is reading it.
Fourth reason and last: Because am go
ing to tell the straRgest story that | know
Of II may seem queer thing to say that,
especially considering that there is no woman
in it-except Foulata. Stop, though! there
Is Gaganola, If she was woman and not
fend. But she was a hundred at least and
therefore not manageable. so | don't count
her AT any rate, can safely say that their
Is not q pctticoat III the whole history. Well,
] had better come to the yoke. It's stiff
place and feel as though ! were begged up
to the axle But suites, suites" as the
Beers say Qm sure | don't know how they
spell it, softly does It. A strOng team Will
come through at last, that is If they amt too
poor. You viii never do anything with poor
oxen. Now to begin.
t. Allan Quaterman of Durham, Natal,
gentleman, make oath and say--thats how |
began my deposition before the magistrate
about poor Khiya's and Fentyogel's sad
deaths; but somehow it doesn't seem quite
the IT Iht way TO begin book. And besides
am | u gentleman? What Is gentleman? /
don't quite know, and yet ] have had to do
with iffggers no. I'll scratch that word
"niggers' out, for don't like it. I've known
natives who are, and so you'll say, Harry,
my boy, before you're doEc with this tale,
aud have known mean whites with lots of
money and fresh out from home, too who
amt.
Well, at any rate was born a gentleman,
though I've been nothing but poor travel
ing trader and hunter all my life. Wheth-
CT have remained SO | know not, you must
Judge Of that Heaven knows I've tried.
I've killed many men IN my me, but l have
never slain wautonIy or stain my hand in
innocent blood only in seif-d tense. The
Almighty gave us our lives, and | suppose
lie meant rs to defend them, at least | have
always acted on that, and hope it won't be
brought up against me when my clock
strikes. There, there, it is cruel and
wicked world, and for a tuid man l have
been MIXED "a tpnl pf Elunphtpr
can't tell the rights Of it, but mt any rate l
have never stolen, though | once cheated a
kar out Of II herd Of cattle. But then Ire
had done me u dirty turn, and it has troubled
me ever since into the bargain
Wei It's eighteen months or so ago since L
FIRST met Sir Henry Curtis and Captain
Good, ami 1t was in this way. had been
mp elephant hunting beyond Bamangwato,
and had had bad luck. Everything went
wrong that trip, and to top up with got the
fever badly SO soon | was well enough /
ttcEkcd down TO the Diamond Fields, sold
such ivory rs had and also my wagon and
oxen, discharged my hunters, and took the
POSTCARD to the Cape. After spending n
week IN Cape Town, finding that they over
charged me at the hotel, and having seen
everything there was To see, including the
botanical gardens, which seemed To me like
ly to confer great benefit on the country,
and new Houses of Parliament which | ex-
poet Will do nothing of the sort l detnmin-
cd to 80 on back To Natal by the Dunkeld,
then lying IN the decks waiting for the Edin-
burEh Castle due in from England. | took
my berth and went aboard, and that after
noon the Natal passengers from the Etin-
horgh Castle transhipped, and we weighed
and put out to sea.
Amupu the pnglapgprs AZ na,,n nn hnorI
there were two who excited my curiosity
One, man about thirty, was one of the
higgcSt-chested and longest-armed men 1
ever saw. He had yellow hair, big yellow
beard, elcarcut features and large gray
ewes set deep in his head. never saw q
tnCr-looking man, and somehow he remind
ell mo of an ancient Dane. Not that know
much ~ ancient Danes, though | remember
"a modern Dane who did me ont of ten
pounds; but remember once seeing pict-
ure of some of those gentry, who | take ID,
were a kind Of white Zulus. They were
drinking out of big horns, and their long
hair hung down their backs and as | looked
at my friend standing there by the compan-
ton-laddcr, thought that il one only let his
hair grow bit, put ON one of those chain
shirts ON to those great shoulders of his, and
gave him big battle-aN and a horn-mug, he
mlGht nave sat rs model FOR that picture.
And by the way it Is a curious thing, and
Just shows how the blood will show out,
found out atterward that Sir Henry Curtis,
for that was the big mans name, was of
Danish blood. lie also reminded me strong
~ of somebody else, but at the time | could
not remember who il was.
The other man who stood talking 70 Sir
Henry was short stout and dark, and of q
quite different cut ldon't know why, but
II Is difficult to mistake navy man. | have
gone shooting trips with several of them In
the course of my life, and they have always
been just the best and bravest and incest fel-
lows | ever met, though given TO the use of
protaue language.
| asked page or two back, what is a gen.
tleman9 I'll answer it now: q ROYAL naval
officer Is, in a general sort of way, though
OF course, there may be a black sheep among
them here and there. fancy it is Just the
wide sea and the breath of Gods winds that
washes their hearts and blows the bitterness
out Of THEN minds aud makes them what
men ought 10 be. Well, 10 return, | was
right again; found ont that he was n naval
officer, lieutenant OF thirty-one> who, after
seventeen years service had been turned
out of her majeSty'S employ with the barren
honor OF II commanders rank, because 1t
was impossible that he should be promoted
That is what people who serve the queen
have 10 expect; to be shot out into the cold
world to lind living just when they are be-